The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts recently named Siera Hyte (Cherokee Nation) as its first Schiller Family Curator of Indigenous American Art. Hyte starts her role on Aug. 26.

“We are delighted to welcome Siera to the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, where she will be an incredible addition to our curatorial team,” said Alex Nyerges, VMFA director and CEO. “Siera will advance our commitment to Indigenous American art through important acquisitions, community engagement, exhibitions, publications, public programs and research.”

In her new position, Ms. Hyte will oversee the development, interpretation, and stewardship of VMFA’s Indigenous American art collection, which includes nearly 1,000 pieces across various mediums such as beadwork, ceramics, paintings, photographs, sculpture and textiles. She will play a pivotal role in reinstalling Indigenous American art in the James W. and Frances G. McGlothlin Wing II as part of the museum’s expansion and renovation.

Additionally, Ms. Hyte will collaborate with VMFA staff and others on the Pocahontas Reframed film festival and ensure compliance with the Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act.

“Siera Hyte’s appointment as VMFA’s Schiller Family Curator of Indigenous American Art is both culturally relevant and timely,” said Dr. Michael Taylor, VMFA’s chief curator and deputy director for art and education. “She is a dynamic curator whose commitment to new narratives and meaningful partnerships will strengthen our relationships with Indigenous artists and communities.”

Virginia, one of the first points of contact between Indigenous peoples and European settlers, is home to seven federally recognized tribes: Chickahominy Indian Tribe, Chickahominy Indian Tribe – Eastern Division, Monacan Indian Nation, Nansemond Indian Tribe, Pamunkey Indian Tribe, Rappahannock Tribe, and Upper Mattaponi Indian Tribe. Additionally, the state recognizes the Cheroenhaka (Nottoway) Indian Tribe, Mattaponi Indian Tribe, Nottoway Indian Tribe of Virginia, and the Patawomeck Indian Tribe of Virginia.

“My curatorial approach foregrounds community-centered and community-led scholarship,” Ms. Hyte said. “This role is an incredible opportunity to collaborate with Indigenous artists, community members, and my new VMFA colleagues to re-present and grow the collection that the museum stewards, and to tell expansive stories that center Indigenous survivance and the profound creative traditions practiced by Indigenous artists.”

Ms. Hyte, a curator, writer and artist, holds a bachelor’s from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and a master’s from the University of Texas at Austin. Her work focuses on 20th and 21st century Indigenous American artists, with a strong interest in pre-20th-century artwork. She has dedicated her career to reconciling American legacies of colonialism with the vibrancy of Indigenous art histories and traditions.

Ms. Hyte joins VMFA from the Colby College Museum of Art in Waterville, Maine, where she managed programs and fellowships at the Lunder Institute for American Art.